CNN
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Vice President Kamala Harris introduced the Congressional House Medal of Honor to 2 former NASA astronauts on the White Home on Tuesday.
Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken acquired the medals for his or her “braveness in NASA’s SpaceX Demonstration Mission-2 (Demo-2) to the Worldwide House Station in 2020,” NASA stated in a press launch. The ceremony was the primary Congressional House Medal of Honors awarded since 2006.
“For the primary time in practically 17 years, we’re conferring on our astronauts the best civilian honor our nation can bestow,” Harris stated on the ceremony within the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Govt Workplace Constructing, the place buddies, household and house trade leaders gathered, to have fun the 2 males.
“Bob and Doug collectively wrote a brand new chapter in American house historical past,” she added. “By way of their ingenuity and braveness, they helped rebuild America’s bridge to low Earth orbit and the Worldwide House Station.”
The pair piloted the primary crewed launch for SpaceX as a part of NASA’s first business crewed mission to the Worldwide House Station in 2020 — the primary astronauts to launch into orbit from america and crew a capsule that took the orbit in practically a decade reached, which was constructed and launched by the personal sector. Since launch in 2020, 5 manned missions have been launched to the ISS, carrying 13 American and seven worldwide astronauts, together with one which noticed Behnken’s spouse, astronaut Megan McArthur, occupy the identical seat as a yr earlier.
“By partnering with business corporations to enhance their house capabilities, these two and these households have enabled NASA to deepen its concentrate on exploration, put money into the primary business house stations, and convey American astronauts again to the moon by the Artemis program. to go to Mars and past,” stated Harris, who chairs the Nationwide House Council as a part of her portfolio.
“Within the coming years, there’ll little doubt be lots of of individuals flying into orbit within the capsule they helped check and construct,” the vice chairman continued.
Hurley, who served within the Marines, and Behnken, who served within the Air Pressure, had been each navy check pilots earlier than becoming a member of NASA in 2000. The house company has an extended historical past of choosing check pilots, who spend lots of of hours flying round experimental supersonic plane, to be astronauts.
The award acknowledges “each astronaut who has distinguished himself within the discharge of his duties by exceptionally meritorious efforts and contributions to the well-being of the nation and mankind.” It has been awarded to 28 folks, together with 17 posthumously, because it was authorised by Congress in 1969, in keeping with a White Home official.
This story was up to date Tuesday with further developments.